Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

ABSTRACT

A humidifying heat treating unit for heating a wafer W having a coated film such as a dielectric film formed thereon under a humidified atmosphere comprises a hot plate for heating the wafer W, a chamber having a plurality of blocks, and provided with a gas supply port for supplying a humidified gas into the chamber and an exhaust port exhausting the chamber for every block, and a control section for controlling the supply-exhaust of the humidified gas into and out of the chamber. The control section controls the supply-exhaust of the humidified gas for every block.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatusand a substrate processing method for forming a film such as aninterlayer insulating film on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, known asone of the methods for forming a dielectric film such as an interlayerinsulating film on a semiconductor wafer is a method of spin-coating asemiconductor wafer with a coating liquid by using an SOD (spin ondielectric) system, followed by applying a physical treatment such asheating to the coated liquid.

[0005] In recent years, a material having a low dielectric constant isrequired as a material of the interlayer insulating film and, thus,various materials, i.e., so-called “low-k materials”, are beingdeveloped. Some of these low-k materials are required to be subjected toa heat treatment with a gas containing a prescribed amount of a watervapor.

[0006]FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view schematically showing theconstruction of a conventional heat treating unit 101 used for forming adielectric film by using a low-k material requiring a heat treatmentunder a humidified atmosphere. As shown in the drawing, the heattreating unit 101 comprises a hot plate 102 on which a wafer W isdisposed and a chamber 103 housing the hot plate 102 and the wafer Wdisposed on the hot plate 102. The chamber 103 consists of a lowervessel 103 b and a lid 103 a that can be lifted. A gas containing aprescribed amount of a water vapor is supplied into the chamber 103through a gas supply port 104 b formed in the bottom portion of thelower vessel 103 b, with the result that the wafer W is exposed to thegaseous atmosphere. The gas supplied into the chamber 103 is exhaustedto the outside through an exhaust port 104 a formed in substantially thecenter of the lid 103 a. Incidentally, a reference numeral 105 shown inFIG. 1 denotes a lift pin for moving a substrate G in a verticaldirection.

[0007] It should be noted that, if the conventional heat treating unit101 outlined above is used for applying a heat treatment to the wafer Whaving a coated film formed thereon, a substantially concentricthickness distribution is generated in the formed coated film as shownin FIG. 2 showing the film thickness distribution. Clearly, it isdifficult to form a film having a uniform thickness over the entirewafer W.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrateprocessing apparatus and a substrate processing method that permitforming a film having a uniform thickness over the entire substrate.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

[0010] holding means for holding a substrate substantially horizontal;

[0011] a chamber for applying a prescribed processing to the substrateheld by said holding means;

[0012] a gas supply port formed through the upper wall of said chamber;

[0013] gas supply means for supplying a gas containing a prescribedvapor into said chamber through said gas supply port;

[0014] a diffusion plate arranged above the substrate held by saidholding means within said chamber and having a plurality of gas spurtingports arranged at prescribed positions so as to permit the gas suppliedinto said chamber through said gas supply port to be suppliedsubstantially uniformly onto the surface of said substrate; and

[0015] exhaust means for exhausting the gas supplied into said chamberto the outside through a bottom portion of said chamber.

[0016] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the firstaspect of the present invention, a gas containing a prescribed vapor issupplied substantially uniformly onto the substrate so as to maintainconstant the atmosphere around the substrate. As a result, it ispossible to diminish the nonuniformity in the thickness and thecharacteristics of the formed film over the entire region of thesubstrate so as to make it possible to obtain a high quality substrate.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

[0018] holding means for holding a substrate substantially horizontal;

[0019] a chamber for applying a prescribed processing to the substrateheld by said holding means and having a plurality of blocks;

[0020] a gas supply port and a gas exhaust port arranged in said chamberfor every block;

[0021] gas supply means for supplying a gas containing a prescribedvapor into said chamber through said gas supply port;

[0022] gas exhausting means for exhausting said chamber through said gasexhaust port; and

[0023] a gas supply-exhaust control mechanism for optionally controllingfor every block the gas supply into said chamber through said gas supplyport and the exhaust of said chamber through said gas exhaust port.

[0024] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a substrate processing method for applying a prescribedprocessing to a substrate held under a prescribed gaseous atmosphere,comprising:

[0025] the step of housing a substrate in a chamber having a pluralityof blocks and provided with a gas supply port and a gas exhaust portmounted for every block; and

[0026] the step of processing a substrate by optionally carrying out forevery block a gas supply processing for supplying a gas containing aprescribed vapor into said chamber through said gas supply port and anexhaust processing within said chamber through said gas exhaust port.

[0027] In the substrate processing apparatus according to the secondaspect of the present invention and in the substrate processing methodaccording to the third aspect of the present invention, thesupply-exhaust of a process gas into and out of the chamber housing thesubstrate can be carried out for every block. Therefore, it is possibleto permit a part of the substrate to be exposed to the atmospherediffering from that of the other portion. As a result, it is possible toeliminate a partial thickness distribution so as to form a uniform filmover the entire substrate. It follows that the present invention makesit possible to maintain a high quality of the substrate so as to improvethe reliability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0028] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of the specification, illustrate presently preferredembodiments of the invention, and together with the general descriptiongiven above and the detail description of the preferred embodimentsgiven below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0029]FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view schematically showing theconstruction of the conventional heat treating unit;

[0030]FIG. 2 shows the thickness distribution of a dielectric filmformed by using the heat treating unit shown in FIG. 1;

[0031]FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the construction of anSOD system;

[0032]FIG. 4 is a side view of the SOD system shown in FIG. 3;

[0033]FIG. 5 is another side view of the SOD system shown in FIG. 3;

[0034]FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing a humidifying heattreating unit (HAC) according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0035]FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing the construction of awafer process section included in the humidifying heat treating unit(HAC) according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0036]FIG. 8 schematically shows the thickness distribution of aninterlayer insulating film formed on a wafer by using a humidifying heattreating unit (HAC);

[0037]FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view schematically showing theconstruction of a chamber mounted to a humidifying heat treating unit(HAC) according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0038]FIG. 10 shows the construction of gas supply ports and exhaustports formed in the lid of the upper container included in the chambershown in FIG. 9;

[0039]FIG. 11 shows the construction of gas supply ports and exhaustports formed in the side wall of the upper container included in thechamber shown in FIG. 9;

[0040]FIG. 12 shows the construction of gas supply ports and exhaustports formed in the side wall of the lower container included in thechamber shown in FIG. 9;

[0041]FIG. 13 shows another example of the partition of the block in thelid of the upper container included in the chamber shown in FIG. 9; and

[0042]FIG. 14 shows another example of the partition of the block in theside wall of the upper container included in the chamber shown in FIG.9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] Some embodiments of the present invention will now be describedin detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, an SOD system equipped with a humidifying heat treatingunit (HAC) used in forming a dielectric film such as an interlayerinsulating film on a semiconductor wafer is taken up as an example ofthe substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0044]FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the construction ofthe SOD system. FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing theconstruction of the SOD system shown in FIG. 3. Further, FIG. 5 isanother side view schematically showing the construction of the SODsystem shown in FIG. 3.

[0045] As shown in the drawings, the SOD system includes a processsection 1, a side cabinet 2, and a carrier station (CSB) 3. Coatingprocess units (SCT) 11 and 12 are arranged in the upper portion on thefront side (lower side in FIG. 3) of the process section 1, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. Further, chemical units 13, 14 housing, for example,chemicals are arranged below the coating process units (SCT) 11, 12,respectively.

[0046] Process unit groups 16 and 17 each consisting of a plurality ofprocess units that are stacked one upon the other are arranged in thecentral portion of the process section 1, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.Further, a wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) 18, which is moved in thevertical direction for transferring the wafer W, is arranged between theprocess unit group 16 and the process unit group 17. Further, ahumidifying heat treating unit (HAC) capable of applying a heattreatment to the wafer W under a water vapor atmosphere is arrangedbehind the wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) 18. The construction of thehumidifying heat treating unit (HAC) will be described herein later indetail.

[0047] The wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) includes a cylindrical supportbody 51 extending in the Z-direction and having vertical walls 51 a, 51b and a side open portion 51 c positioned between the vertical walls 51a and 51 b. The wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) also includes a wafertransfer body 52 arranged inside the cylindrical support body 51 so asto be movable in the Z-direction along the cylindrical support body 51.The cylindrical support body 51 can be rotated by a motor 53. Inaccordance with rotation of the cylindrical support body 51, the wafertransfer body 52 is also rotated integrally.

[0048] The wafer transfer body 52 includes a transfer base 54 and threewafer transfer arms 55, 56, 57 movable back and forth along the transferbase 54. Each of the wafer transfer arms 55, 56, 57 is sized to becapable of passing through the side open portion 51 c of the cylindricalsupport body 51. These wafer transfer arms 55, 56, 57 can be moved backand forth independently by a motor and a belt mechanism arranged withinthe transfer base 54. A belt 59 is driven by a motor 58 so as to movethe wafer transfer body 52 in the vertical direction. Incidentally, areference numeral 60 denotes a driving pulley, and a reference numeral61 denotes a driven pulley.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 5, the process unit group 16 on the left sideincludes a hot plate unit (LHP) 19 for a low temperature, two curingunits (DLC) 20, and two aging units (DAC) 21, which are stacked one uponthe other in the order mentioned as viewed from the upper side. On theother hand, the process unit group 17 on the right side includes bakingunits (DLB) 22, a hot plate unit (LHP) 23 for a low temperature, twocooling plate units (CPL) 24, a transfer unit (TRS) 25, and a coolingplate unit (CPL) 26, which are stacked one upon the other in the ordermentioned as viewed from the upper side. Incidentally, it is possiblefor the transfer unit (TRS) to also perform the function of the coolingplate.

[0050] The side cabinet 2 includes a bubbler (Bub) 27 for supplying achemical liquid and a trap (TRAP) 28 for cleaning the exhaust gas.Further, arranged below the bubbler (Bub) 27 are a power supply source(not shown), a chemical liquid chamber (not shown) for storing achemical liquid such as HMDS (hexamethyl disilane) and a gas such as anammonia (NH₃) gas, and a drain 29 for discharging the waste liquid of aprocess liquid used in the SOD system.

[0051] Where an interlayer insulating film or the like is formed on awafer W by using a low-k material requiring a heat treatment under ahumidified atmosphere in the SOD system of the construction describedabove, the wafer W is transferred into the cooling plate unit (CPL) 24or 26, the coating process unit (SCT) 11 or 12, the humidifying heattreating unit (HAC) 15, the hot plate unit (LHP) 19 or 23 for a lowtemperature, the baking unit (DLB) 22 and the curing unit (DLC) 20 inthe order mentioned so as to apply prescribed treatments to the wafer W.

[0052] The construction of the humidifying heating process unit (HAC)will now be described. FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing theconstruction of the humidifying heat treating unit (HAC) 15. As shown inthe drawing, the humidifying heat treating unit (HAC) 15 includes a purewater storing section 15 c for storing a pure water, which is arrangedin the lower stage, a wafer processing section 15 a for applying a heattreatment to the wafer W under a humidified atmosphere, which isarranged in the upper state, and an evaporating-gas blowing section 15 bfor evaporating the pure water stored in the pure water storing section15 c so as to mix the evaporated water with a nitrogen gas and forblowing the nitrogen gas (humidified gas) controlled at a prescribedhumidity into the wafer processing section 15 a, which is arranged inthe middle state.

[0053] Incidentally, it is possible to blow a nitrogen gas into theevaporating-gas blowing section 15 b by utilizing, for example, thepiping of a factory. It is also possible to arrange a bomb loaded with anitrogen gas in the pure water storing section 15 c for supplying arequired amount of the nitrogen gas from the bomb into theevaporating-gas blowing section 15 b. Concerning the pure water supplysystem, it is possible to supply a pure water from a prescribed storingsite into the pure water supply line without arranging the pure waterstoring section 15 c.

[0054]FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view schematically showing theconstruction of the wafer processing section 15 a. As shown in thedrawing, a housing 30 including an open portion 30 a through which thewafer transfer arms 55, 56, 57 can be moved into the open portion 30 aand which can be closed by a shutter (not shown) is arranged in thewafer processing section 15 a. A hot plate 31 for heating the wafer Wdisposed thereon and a chamber 32 housing the hot plate 31 are arrangedwithin the housing 30.

[0055] Proximity pins each having a prescribed length (not shown) arearranged on the surface of the hot plate 31. The wafer W is held at thetips of the proximity pins so as to prevent the wafer W from beingbrought into a direct contact with the surface of the hot plate 31.Further, holes 31 a are formed at prescribed positions of the hot plate31, and lift pins 33 for moving the wafer W up and down are arranged toextend through the holes 31 a. The lift pins 33 can be moved in thevertical direction by a lift mechanism (not shown).

[0056] The chamber 32 includes a lid 32 a arranged movable in thevertical direction and a fixed lower container 32 b. A gas supply port35 a for introducing a humidified gas supplied from the evaporating-gasblowing section 15 b into the chamber 32 is formed in the centralportion of the lid 32 a. Further, a diffusion plate 34 having aplurality of gas spurting ports 34 a formed at prescribed positions soas to permit the humidified gas supplied from the gas supply port 35 ainto the chamber 32 to be supplied substantially uniformly onto thesurface of the wafer W is arranged inside the lid 32 a and above thewafer W disposed on the hot plate 31.

[0057] The blowing pressure of the humidified gas supplied forward tothe diffusion plate 34 is high in the central portion and low in theperipheral portion of the diffusion plate 34. Therefore, the gasspurting port 34 a formed in the central portion of the diffusion plate34 is designed to have a small diameter, and the gas spurting portformed in the peripheral portion of the diffusion plate 34 is designedto have a large diameter. Alternatively, the gas spurting ports 34 a areformed at a high density in the peripheral portion and at a low densityin the central portion of the diffusion plate 34. As a result, ahumidified gas can be supplied substantially uniformly over the entiresurface of the wafer W, because the humidified gas is spurted throughthe diffusion plate 34 in uniform pressure.

[0058] The gas supplied substantially uniformly from the gas spurtingports 34 a onto the wafer W flows through the clearance between the sidesurface of the lower container 32 b and the side surface of the hotplate 31 so as to be discharged to the outside through an exhaust port35 b formed through the bottom wall of the lower container 32 b.

[0059] The process step for forming an interlayer insulating film usinga low-k material on the wafer W by using the humidifying heat treatingunit (HAC) of the construction described above is, for example, asfollows. In the first step, the wafer W is transferred into any of thecoating process units (SCT) 11 and 12 by using any of the wafer transferarms 55, 56 and 57. In some cases, the wafer W is transferred directlyfrom a carrier (container) housing the wafers W into the coating processunit (SCT) 11 or 12. In other cases, the wafer W is set at a prescribedtemperature in the cooling plate unit (CPL) 24 or 26 so as to facilitatea uniform coating of a coating liquid made of a low-k material, followedby transferring the wafer W into the coating process unit (SCT) 11 or12.

[0060] In the coating process units (SCT) 11, 12, the wafer W isspin-coated with a coating liquid. To be more specific, the surface ofthe wafer W is coated with a prescribed amount of the coating liquid,followed by rotating the wafer W at a prescribed rotating speed so as tospread the coating liquid onto the entire surface of the wafer W. As aresult, a coated film is formed on the surface of the wafer W.

[0061] The wafer having the coated film formed thereon is transferredby, for example, the wafer transfer arm 55 from the coating process unit(SCT) 11 or 12 to the wafer processing section 15 a of the humidifyingheat treating unit (HAC) 15. In the wafer processing section 15 a, thewafer transfer arm 55 holding the wafer W is moved into the housing 30through the open portion 30 a with the lid 32 a moved to the upperposition and, then, the lift pins 33 are moved upward so as to transferthe wafer W from the wafer transfer arm 55 onto the lift pins 33.Further, the wafer transfer arm 55 is moved out of the housing 30,followed by closing the open portion 30 a.

[0062] Further, the lift pins 33 are moved downward so as to transferthe wafer W onto the proximity pins mounted to the hot plate 31. Forexample, the lid 32 a is moved downward while spurting a humidified gascontrolled to a prescribed humidity from the gas spurting port 34 a ofthe diffusion plate 34 during the downward movement of the lift pins 33so as to seal the chamber 32, thereby subjecting the wafer W to a heattreatment under a humidified gaseous atmosphere. By this heat treatment,the molecular structure of the coated film is changed to have a skeletalstructure that pores are formed during the subsequent curing treatment.

[0063] Incidentally, it is possible to move downward the lid 32 a afterthe wafer W is disposed on the hot plate 31. Further, it is possible tostart the supply of the humidified gas into the chamber 32 after thewafer W disposed on the hot plate 31 is heated to reach a prescribedtemperature. The hot plate 31 is maintained at a constant temperature,and the exhaust treatment through the exhaust port 35 a is started afterthe open portion 30 a is closed.

[0064] After completion of the processing in the humidifying heattreating unit (HAC), the wafer W is transferred out of the housing 30and, then, is further transferred into any of the hot plate units (LHP)19 and 23 for a low temperature by the procedure opposite to that in thecase of transferring the wafer W into the housing 30 for starting theprocessing. In the hot plate units (LHP) 19, 23, the wafer W issubjected to a heat treatment under, for example, an air atmosphere at atemperature of about 150° C. so as to evaporate partly the solvent,water, etc. contained in the coated film.

[0065] The wafer W after completion of the processing for a prescribedtime in the hot plate unit (LHP) 19 or 23 for a low temperature istransferred by the wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) 18 into the bakingunit (DLB) 22. In the baking unit (DLB) 22, the wafer W is subjected toa heat treatment under, for example, the air atmosphere at about 300° C.so as to remove the solvent, water, etc. that were not evaporated in theprevious heat treatment in the hot plate unit (LHP) 19 or 23 for a lowtemperature.

[0066] The wafer W after completion of the processing in the baking unit(DLB) 22 is transferred by the wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) 18 intothe curing unit (DLC) 20. In the curing process unit (DLC) 20, thecoated film is subjected to a curing treatment under a nitrogen gasatmosphere (atmosphere of a low oxygen concentration) at, for example,420° C. so as to form a dielectric film. Pores derived from the previousprocessing in the humidifying heat treating unit (HAC) are formed insidethe formed dielectric film so as to form a porous film. The pores thusformed serve to lower the dielectric constant of the dielectric film.

[0067] In the curing unit (DLC) 20, a cooling treatment is carried outunder a nitrogen gas atmosphere after such a heat treatment is appliedto the wafer W. Then, the cooled wafer W is transferred out of thecuring unit (DLC) 20 by the wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) 18 so as tobe brought back into, for example, the chamber in which the wafer W washoused previously.

[0068]FIG. 8 exemplifies the thickness distribution of the interlayerinsulating film made of a low-k material and formed on the wafer W bythe process described above by using the humidifying heat treating unit(HAC) 15. As apparent from the comparison between FIG. 8 and FIG. 2referred to previously, the difference in the thickness of theinterlayer insulating film is small in the case of using the humidifyingheat treating unit (HAC) 15.

[0069] Incidentally, the 3σ value of the thickness distribution shown inFIG. 8 is 0.5%. On the other hand, the 3σ value of the film thicknessdistribution shown in FIG. 2, which is obtained in the case of using theconventional heat treating unit 101 shown in FIG. 1, is 3.0%. In otherwords, it has been confirmed that the use of the humidifying heattreating unit (HAC) 15 permits improving the uniformity of the filmthickness to a level about 5 times as high as that for the conventionalcase.

[0070] It is possible to use a chamber 70 whose cross section isschematically shown in FIG. 9 in place of the chamber 32 in the waferprocessing section 15 a. The chamber 70 consists of an upper container71 and a lower container 72. Further, the upper container 71 consists ofa lid 71 a and a side wall 71 b. Incidentally, the upper container 71 ismovable in the vertical direction, though FIG. 9 shows the state that achamber 70 is sealed.

[0071] Gas supply ports 81 a and exhaust ports 81 b are formed inprescribed positions of the lid 71 a of the upper container 71. Further,gas supply ports 82 a and exhaust ports 82 b are formed in prescribedpositions of the side wall 71 b of the upper container 71. Further, gassupply ports 83 a and exhaust ports 83 b are formed in prescribedpositions of a bottom wall 72 a of the lower container 72.

[0072]FIG. 10 shows a construction of the gas supply ports 81 a and theexhaust ports 81 b formed in the lid 71 a. Incidentally, in order todistinguish the gas supply ports 81 a from the exhaust ports 81 b, thegas supply ports 81 a are shown shaded in FIG. 10. This is also the casewith FIGS. 11 to 14.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 10, the lid 71 a is divided into eight blocks 91a to 91 h, and a plurality of gas supply ports 81 a and a plurality ofexhaust ports 81 b are formed in each of the blocks 91 a to 91 h. Inother words, each of a plurality of gas supply ports 81 a and aplurality of exhaust ports 81 b formed in the lid 71 a is divided intoeight blocks 91 a to 91 h.

[0074] The humidified gas supply-exhaust in the chamber 70 is controlledby a control section 75. For example, the gas supply ports 81 a formedin the block 91 a are connected to an automatic opening-closing valve 85a mounted in the control section 75. It is possible to control thestarting-stopping of the gas supply from the gas supply ports 81 aincluded in the block 91 a by allowing the automatic opening-closingvalve 85 a to perform the opening-closing function independently of theother opening-closing valves.

[0075] Likewise, the exhaust ports 81 b included in the block 91 a areconnected to an automatic opening-closing valve 85 b arranged in thecontrol section 75, and the starting-stopping of the exhaust through theexhaust ports 81 b can be controlled by independently controlling theopening-closing of the automatic opening-closing valve 85 b.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 10, the gas supply ports 81 a included in theblock 91 b are connected to an automatic opening-closing valve 86 a, andthe exhaust ports 81 b included in the block 91 b are connected to anautomatic opening-closing valve 86 b. Likewise, the gas supply ports 81a and the exhaust ports 81 b included in each of the other blocks 91 cto 91 h are connected to automatic opening-closing valves mounted in thecontrol section 75 for each of the blocks 91 c to 91 h, though theseautomatic opening-closing valves are not shown in FIG. 10. In thisfashion, the supply-exhaust of the humidified gas is carried outindependently for each of the blocks 91 a to 91 h in the lid 71 a.

[0077]FIG. 11 show a construction of the gas supply ports 82 a and theexhaust ports 82 b formed in the side wall 71 b. The side wall 71 b isdivided substantially equidistantly in its circumferential directioninto eight blocks 92 a to 92 h. The gas supply ports 82 a included inthe block 92 f are connected to an automatic opening-closing valve 87 a,and the exhaust ports 82 b are connected to an automatic opening-closingvalve 87 b.

[0078]FIG. 11 shows the supply-exhaust of the humidified gas in only theblock 92 f. Needless to say, the supply-exhaust of the humidified gascan be similarly performed in each of the other blocks 92 a to 92 e, 92g and 92 h. It follows that the supply-exhaust of the humidified gas canbe performed independently in each of the blocks 92 a to 92 h in theside wall 71 b.

[0079]FIG. 12 shows a construction of the gas supply ports 83 a and theexhaust ports 83 b formed in the bottom wall 72 a of the lower container72. The peripheral portion in the bottom wall 72 a of the lowercontainer 72 is divided into eight blocks 93 a to 93 h of substantiallythe same shape. For example, the gas supply ports 83 a formed in theblock 93 e are connected to an automatic opening-closing valve 88 amounted in the control section 75. Likewise, the exhaust ports 83 bformed in the block 93 e are connected to an automatic opening-closingvalve 88 b included in the control section 75.

[0080]FIG. 12 shows the gas supply ports 83 a and the exhaust ports 83 bformed in the block 93 c alone, and also shows the supply-exhaust of thehumidified gas in the block 93 e alone. However, the similarsupply-exhaust system of the humidified gas is arranged in each of theother blocks 93 a to 93 d and 93 f to 93 h. In other words, thesupply-exhaust operation of the humidified gas can be performedindependently in each of the blocks 93 a to 93 h in the peripheralportion in the bottom wall 72 a of the lower container 72.

[0081] In the chamber 70, the supply of a humidified gas into thechamber 70 and the exhaust of the gas from the chamber 70 can be carriedout independently in each of the 24 divided blocks 91 a to 91 h, 92 a to92 h and 93 a to 93 h.

[0082] For example, it is possible to process the wafer W such that ahumidified gas supplied from the gas supply ports 81 a is supplied intothe blocks 91 b, 91 d, 91 f, 91 h, 92 a, 92 c, 92 e and 92 g, that a gasis exhausted from the blocks 91 a, 91 c, 91 e, 91 g, 92 b, 92 d, 92 fand 92 h, that a gas is exhausted from the blocks 93 a, 93 c, 93 e, and93 g, and that no operation is performed in the blocks 93 b, 93 d, 93 fand 93 h.

[0083] In this case, it is possible to set the supply rate of thehumidified gas and the exhaust rate at values differing from each otherdepending on the blocks by controlling the opening-closing degrees ofthe automatic opening-closing valves mounted for each block.

[0084] It is possible to determine which block to use for the supply ofthe humidified gas and which block to use for the exhaust byexperimentally confirming, for example, the uniformity of the filmthickness. If the process conditions are once determined, it is possibleto obtain, for example, a dielectric film excellent in, for example, theuniformity of the film thickness by processing the wafer W under theprocess conditions once determined. Further, even where the filmthickness is partially changed, it is possible to take measures easilyfor making uniform the film thickness distribution by, for example,supplying a larger amount of the humidified gas to the particularportion or, by contraries, by decreasing the supply rate of thehumidified gas to the particular region.

[0085] Incidentally, if the chamber 70 is operated such that the supplyalone of the humidified gas from the gas supply ports 81 a is carriedout in the blocks 91 a to 91 h, that no operation is performed in theblocks 92 a to 92 h, and that the exhaust alone through the exhaustports 83 b are carried out in the blocks 93 a to 93 h, the chamber 70can be used like the chamber 32 as a consequence.

[0086] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments describedabove. For example, the partition of the blocks in the chamber 70 is notlimited to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10 to 12. FIG. 13 showsanother example of the partition of the blocks in the lid 71 a.

[0087] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the gas supply ports 81 a andthe exhaust ports 81 b formed in the lid 71 are classified into fourconcentrically partitioned blocks 95 a to 95 d, i.e., the circular block95 a in the central portion and the annular blocks 95 b, 95 c and 95 darranged around the circular block 95 a such that the annular block 95 bis positioned to surround the circular block 95 a, the annular block 95c is positioned to surround the annular block 95 b, and the annularblock 95 d is positioned to surround the annular block 95 c. In thiscase, the supply-exhaust of the humidified gas is controlledindependently for each of the blocks 95 a to 95 d.

[0088] In the chamber 70, the number and positions of the gas supplyports and exhaust ports as well as the shape and number of the blocksarranged in the lid 71 a are not limited to those shown in FIG. 10 or13. For example, the shape of the block is not limited to the fan shapeshown in FIG. 10 or to the circular or annular shape as shown in FIG.13. For example, it is possible to classify the gas supply ports and theexhaust ports in a manner to form lattice-shaped blocks.

[0089] Likewise, where the gas supply ports 82 a and the exhaust ports82 b are formed in the side wall 71 b in a manner to form three stagesin the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 11, it is possible toclassify the gas supply ports 82 a and the exhaust ports 82 b in amanner to form three blocks 92 a to 96 c of the upper stage, the middlestage and the lower stage as shown in FIG. 14. In this case, thesupply-exhaust of the humidified gas can be controlled for each of theseblocks 96 a to 96 c. It is also possible to form lattice-shaped blocks.Incidentally, some of the gas supply ports 82 a and the exhaust ports 82b are omitted from the drawing of FIG. 14.

[0090] It is possible to carry out simultaneously the supply of thehumidified gas from the gas supply ports 81 a and the exhaust of the gasthrough the exhaust ports 81 b in a single block, e.g., the block 91 aformed in the lid 71 a. In this case, it is possible to supply asufficiently large amount of the humidified gas into the chamber 70 by,for example, making the supply rate of the humidified gas higher thanthe exhaust rate.

[0091] It is also possible to allow the humidity of the humidified gassupplied to the gas supply ports 81 a formed in the block 91 a to bedifferent from the humidity of the humidified gas supplied to the gassupply ports 81 a formed in the block 91 b.

[0092] Further, it is possible to control independently each of theblocks 91 a to 91 h by forming the gas supply ports 81 a alone in theblocks 91 a, 91 c, 91 e and 91 g arranged in the lid 71 a and by formingthe exhaust ports 81 b alone in the blocks 91 b, 91 d, 91 f and 91 harranged in the lid 71 a.

[0093] Each of the embodiments described above is directed to the casewhere a water vapor is used as the vapor. However, it is also possibleto apply the technical idea of the present invention to an apparatus forprocessing a substrate by using a gas containing an ammonia gas or avapor of an organic solvent.

[0094] It should be noted that the embodiments described above aresimply intended to clarify the technical idea of the present invention.Naturally, the technical scope of the present invention should not beconstrued solely on the basis of the specific embodiments describedabove. In other words, the present invention can be worked in variouslymodified fashions on the basis of the spirit of the present inventionand within the scope defined in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:holding means for holding a substrate substantially horizontal; achamber for applying a prescribed processing to the substrate held bysaid holding means; a gas supply port formed through the upper wall ofsaid chamber; gas supply means for supplying a gas containing aprescribed vapor into said chamber through said gas supply port; adiffusion plate arranged above the substrate held by said holding meanswithin said chamber and having a plurality of gas spurting portsarranged at prescribed positions so as to permit the gas supplied intosaid chamber through said gas supply port to be supplied substantiallyuniformly onto the surface of said substrate; and exhaust means forexhausting the gas supplied into said chamber to the outside through abottom portion of said chamber.
 2. The substrate processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein an interlayer insulating film is formed onsaid substrate.
 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim2, wherein said gas supply means supplies an inert gas containing awater vapor into said chamber.
 4. The substrate processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said holding means consists of a hot platecapable of heating said substrate to a prescribed temperature.
 5. Thesubstrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thediameter of said gas spurting port formed in the central portion of saiddiffusion plate is smaller than the diameter of said gas spurting portformed in the peripheral portion of said diffusion plate.
 6. Thesubstrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the densityof said gas spurting ports formed in the central portion of saiddiffusion plate is lower than the density of said gas spurtingports-formed in the peripheral portion of said diffusion plate.
 7. Asubstrate processing apparatus, comprising: holding means for holding asubstrate substantially horizontal; a chamber for applying a prescribedprocessing to the substrate held by said holding means and having aplurality of blocks; a gas supply port and a gas exhaust port arrangedin said chamber for every block; gas supply means for supplying a gascontaining a prescribed vapor into said chamber through said gas supplyport; gas exhausting means for exhausting said chamber through said gasexhaust port; and a gas supply-exhaust control mechanism for optionallycontrolling for every block the gas supply into said chamber throughsaid gas supply port and the exhaust of said chamber through said gasexhaust port.
 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim7, wherein an interlayer insulating film is formed on said substrate. 9.The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein saidgas supply means supplies an inert gas containing a water vapor intosaid chamber.
 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim7, wherein a plurality of said gas supply ports and a plurality of saidgas exhaust ports are formed for every block in said chamber.
 11. Thesubstrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein saidchamber includes a lid covering a region above the substrate held bysaid holding means, and said plural blocks are provided in said lid. 12.The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein saidplural blocks of said lid are shaped annularly.
 13. The substrateprocessing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said plural blocksof said lid are shaped radially.
 14. The substrate processing apparatusaccording to claim 7, wherein said chamber includes a side wallsurrounding the outer circumference of the substrate held by saidholding means, and said plural blocks are provided in said side wall.15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14, whereinsaid plural blocks of said side wall are shaped equidistantly in thecircumferential direction.
 16. The substrate processing apparatusaccording to claim 14, wherein said plural blocks of said side wall areshaped in a manner to be stacked one upon the other in the verticaldirection.
 17. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7,wherein said chamber includes a bottom wall arranged below said holdingmeans, and said plural blocks are provided in said bottom wall.
 18. Thesubstrate processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein saidplural blocks of said bottom wall are shaped annularly.
 19. Thesubstrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein saidplural blocks of said bottom wall are shaped radially.
 20. The substrateprocessing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said gas supply portand/or said gas exhaust port are formed in a plurality of points forevery block.
 21. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim7, wherein said holding means consists of a hot plate capable of heatingsaid substrate.
 22. A substrate processing method for applying aprescribed processing to a substrate held under a prescribed gaseousatmosphere, comprising: the step of housing a substrate in a chamberhaving a plurality of blocks and provided with a gas supply port and agas exhaust port mounted for every block; and the step of processing asubstrate by optionally carrying out for every block a gas supplyprocessing for supplying a gas containing a prescribed vapor into saidchamber through said gas supply port and an exhaust processing withinsaid chamber through said gas exhaust port.
 23. The substrate processingmethod according to claim 22, wherein an interlayer insulating film isformed on said substrate.
 24. The substrate processing method accordingto claim 23, wherein said vapor is a water vapor.
 25. The substrateprocessing method according to claim 22, wherein said substrate isdisposed on a hot plate within said chamber so as to be maintained at aprescribed temperature.